Spalding County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.3 | 69,946 people · 27th most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Spalding County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.3 — 194th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Georgia, it ranks 27th of 159 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 7 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Spalding County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 95.5 — worse than roughly 96% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 95.5
Debt in Collections 98
Medical Debt 94
Student Loan Delinquency 95
Auto Loan Delinquency 94
Credit Card Delinquency 97
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 81.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 84
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 78
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 61
Homeownership Rate 87
Rent-to-Income Ratio 100
Income & Poverty 65.8
Poverty Rate 69
Income vs. State Median 41
Child Poverty Rate 86
Community Vulnerability 56.4
Uninsured Rate 83
Disability Rate 30
Employment & Wages 52.1
Unemployment Rate 49
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 98
Business Formation Rate 9

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Spalding County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Spalding County
Spalding County, GA 70.3 Serious —
Clayton County, GA 71.5 Serious +1.2
Meriwether County, GA 68.7 Serious -1.6
Butts County, GA 61.6 Elevated -8.7
Henry County, GA 56.2 Elevated -14.2
Lamar County, GA 54.6 Elevated -15.7
Pike County, GA 47.7 Normal -22.6
Coweta County, GA 42.8 Normal -27.5
Fayette County, GA 38.7 Normal -31.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Spalding County
Klamath County, OR 70.4 Serious +0.0
Tehama County, CA 70.5 Serious +0.1
Walker County, GA 70.1 Serious -0.2
Caddo Parish, LA 70.7 Serious +0.3
Christian County, KY 70.0 Serious -0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Spalding County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Spalding County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Spalding County residents at no cost.

Atlanta Legal Aid Society 404-524-5811
Georgia Legal Services Program 1-888-257-4567
Georgia Legal Aid
State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Self-Help Resources

Georgia Legal Aid — Housing Self-help guides for Georgia foreclosure process, rights, and defenses
DCA Georgia HAF Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Spalding County, Georgia?

    Spalding County has a County Distress Index score of 70.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 194th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 27th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Spalding County?

    The primary driver of distress in Spalding County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 95.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Spalding County compare to neighboring counties?

    Spalding County (70.3) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Clayton County, GA (71.5); Meriwether County, GA (68.7); Butts County, GA (61.6).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Spalding County?

    Spalding County, Georgia has a population of approximately 69,946 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.